Reading great novels makes you better.

By that I don’t mean ‘great’ as in classically acclaimed novels. I just mean reading stuff that makes my own heart sing. When I read prose that lifts me out of the ordinary, that allows me to see the world through a different lens, I get the kind of inspiration that is impossible to find on my own.

Being fascinated with the creative process as I am, I have often read about writers’ ways of working. Once I read about an author who for the entire time she is writing a novel, does not read anything for pleasure. She says she does this because it interferes with her being able to ‘put down’ the story. I get that. It’s her way of getting through the work without distraction.

However, I find that if I get too immersed in my own writing, it’s a bit like navel-gazing. I am so close to it that I can’t really tell whether it’s good or dismal. I can’t tell if my ideas are stale. I forget how to make the words buzz with life. So it’s all rather hit and miss. But when I read a novel that really gets the fire going deep in my belly, I remember what works, and sometimes, I get ideas, which I can put to use in my own work.

Only last night, I was reading a passage the novel I’m currently reading, when I had a lightbulb moment. My central character needs to do more of the type of introspection this author uses with his protagonist.

As a result of the lightbulb going off, I am going to give it a try. It’s probably something I need to consider in the polish stage of the manuscript, but if I can pull it off, it will be these kinds of fresh introspections that will hopefully help readers identify more closely with my protagonist.

When I write without this kind of help, I am like a dried flower. No nourishment withers me. When I get help from wonderful and accomplished writers, it’s like feeding a hungry child. There is growth and an underlying optimism that is impossible without this nourishment.

Unlike the dead flower, my writing can be revived, and go on to make a full recovery. That’s what’s so great about writing. It’s never so bad that it can’t be fixed.